Deanery of Great Britain and Ireland - Archdiocesehttp://exarchate.org.uk/archdiocese
enCommuniqué of the Council of the Archdiocese - 17 January 2019http://exarchate.org.uk/node/382
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>In recent days, many priests and deacons of the Archdiocese have received a letter from the Greek Metropolitan of the country where they reside, ordering them to cease commemorating their own Archbishop, to join the clergy of the Greek Metropolia, to consider that our parishes and communities are already part of these Metropolia and finally ordering them to hand over all relevant parish documents and records.</p>
<p>In this regard, the Council of the Archdiocese refers to its communiqué of 30 November and offers some clarifications.</p>
<p>This intervention by external bishops in the very body of our Archdiocese, even if they are bishops of the same Patriarchate, is irregular from the point of view of ecclesiology and law: indeed, His Eminence, Archbishop John is the only legitimate ruling bishop of Orthodox parishes of Russian tradition in Western Europe. On 28 March, 2016, he was properly elected by the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Archdiocese, composed of all the clergy and lay delegates of the parishes that make up our ecclesial body; on 22 April, 2016, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate ratified this election. From that moment, Archbishop John was fully established in his duties. Since then, he has neither resigned nor requested retirement and remains, by the very definition of episcopal ministry, the instrument of the catholicity of the diocese and the president of the Diocesan Union, which is the legal entity according to French law protecting the communion of all the parishes and communities of the Archdiocese.</p>
<p>Like all his predecessors since the Venerable Metropolitan Euloghiy, and in all the countries where his parishes are established, His Eminence Archbishop John celebrates the Eucharist of the Church in catholicity, as well as all sacramental acts; he presides at the consecration of &nbsp;churches and &nbsp;antimensia, he ordains to every rank of ecclesiastical service in our Archdiocese. In his capacity as a bishop of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, he recently participated in the Synaxis of the Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne [1-3 September 2018] and, in 2016, in the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church [in Crete]. His status as the sole diocesan bishop of our archdiocese is irrefutable, canonically and legally, as confirmed by the official Statutes of the Archdiocese.</p>
<p>The Statutes of the Archdiocese are known to the Patriarchate and have been consistently approved by the Holy Synod since 1931; in their current version, they include in particular:</p>
<p>Article 11<br />
<em>The Archdiocese and member associations [parishes and monasteries] are placed under the administrative authority and the spiritual, pastoral and moral direction of a ruling bishop, with the rank and title of Archbishop, under obedience to His All-holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. The Archbishop is the President of the Archdiocese.</em></p>
<p>Article 40<br />
<em>The Archbishop exercises his functions for life. He may, however, withdraw from the governance of the Archdiocese after consulting the Episcopal Committee and the Council of the Archdiocese. On the other hand, he may not be removed from office except after the judgment of a competent higher ecclesiastical tribunal, namely the Patriarchal Holy Synod.</em></p>
<p>These provisions do not permit any other interpretation: our diocesan clergy must continue the manner of liturgical commemoration that they have always practiced, and they remain, just like the parishes and monasteries, under direct obedience to His Eminence, Archbishop John. All diocesan files are up-to-date at the Archdiocese and they may not, for legally binding reasons, be transferred to an external authority without good reason.</p>
<p>On November 27, 2018, the Ecumenical Patriarchate decided to rescind the Patriarchal and Synodal Tomos of 19 June, 1999, which conferred on the Archdiocese the title of Patriarchal Exarch. Even though the Archdiocesan Council regrets the unilateral nature of this decision, over which there was no consultation, we recognize that the Patriarchate had the right to make this decision. We must not, however, confuse the concept of withdrawal of the status of Patriarchal Exarchate with the expression “dissolution of the Archdiocese”, as derogatively used by some sources on the Internet.</p>
<p>The decision of 27 November of the Patriarchate of Constantinople is unilateral (the withdrawal of the Tomos of 1999) and bilateral or even trilateral (the invitation to integrate the parishes of the Archdiocese into the Greek Metropolia, concerning which we do not know whether they have been consulted on this subject). What is multilateral must necessarily be the subject of deliberation by the collective (parish) and individual (clergy) subjects concerned. No one can prejudge an ecclesiologically fundamental act of receiving a decision from an external source.</p>
<p>In fact, only the General Assembly is competent to dissolve the Archdiocese, founded in 1921 (that is, even before its reception into the Patriarchate of Constantinople). This Assembly has been legally convened for the coming 23 February and has a single item on its agenda: the discussion on this decision by the Patriarchate.</p>
<p>Just as the Ecumenical Patriarchate complies, for its local operation in Turkey, with the legislative regime of the Turkish Republic, which is sometimes very restrictive, so it has always encouraged our Archdiocese to organize itself in accordance with the legislation of the countries where its parishes are established, and to respect those laws fully. Far from being a departure from the good organization of the Church, respect for statutory procedures is the safest canonical application directly inspired by the Orthodox ethos.</p>
<p>Our Archdiocese finds itself today, de jure, in the position it was in before it was welcomed into the Ecumenical Patriarchate. De facto, however, we would not want this long and fruitful period to end without a direct face-to-face meeting between the representatives of our Archdiocese and the authorities of the Patriarchate.</p>
<p>Indeed, we will never be able to find the right words to express our gratitude to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for its canonical protection during all these years. The Holy Church of Constantinople has taken care to respect the particular characteristics of the working of our diocese, finspired by the decisions and debates of the 1917-1918 Moscow Council, and for this we are deeply grateful. This shows how much the Patriarchate’s ecclesiastical vocation is truly supra-ethnic.</p>
<p>If the Ecumenical Patriarchate were to shut the door to any possibility for the Archdiocese to remain in its midst, the General Assembly would advise accordingly. However, neither the Greek Metropolitans of Western Europe, nor the Council of the Archdiocese, nor even the Archbishop can take the place of the Church Assembly which has been validly convened for 23rd February.</p>
<p>In the meantime, the Council of the Archdiocese calls on all parties to respect the peace of the Church and the legal provisions which ensure that, in the Body of Christ, “Let all things be done decently and in order” (<em>1 Cor 14:40</em>). As the Apostle Paul always teaches: “For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace” (<em>1 Cor 14:33</em>). The opposite of disorder then is not order, but peace.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Deanery:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/archdiocese">Archdiocese</a></div></div></div>Fri, 18 Jan 2019 19:31:09 +0000web-admins382 at http://exarchate.org.ukCOMMUNIQUE of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (November 29, 2018)http://exarchate.org.uk/node/381
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>The Holy and Sacred Synod convened under the chairmanship of His All-Holiness for its regular sessions from Tuesday, November 27, to Thursday, November 29, 2018.</p>
<p>During its sessions, it examined all of the items on the agenda, upon which the appropriate decisions were made, including the following:<br />
a.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Upon the recommendation of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, within the context of his canonical responsibility, the Holy and Sacred Synod reorganized the status of the “Exarchate for Orthodox Parishes of the Russian Tradition in Western Europe,” thereby entrusting its faithful to the Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne in Europe.<br />
b.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;The Holy and Sacred Synod, in unanimously accepting the proposal of the Autonomous Church of Finland under the Ecumenical Patriarchate, recorded in the Hagiologion of the Orthodox Church the Venerable John of Valamo (1873-1958), and the Holy Martyr and Confessor, John of Ilomantsi (1884-1918), both of whom lived and worked there.<br />
c.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Finally, in the context of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s previously-made decision to grant autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine, and in anticipation of the issuance of the Patriarchal and Synodal Tomos, the Holy and Sacred Synod drafted the Ukrainian Church’s Constitutional Charter.</p>
<p>At the conclusion of these sessions, His All-Holiness and His Eminence Metropolitan Panteleimon of Vryoula, on behalf of the Holy and Sacred Synod, exchanged festal addresses for the upcoming feasts of Christmas and the New Year.</p>
<p>At the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the 29th of November, 2018</p>
<p>From the Chief Secretariat<br />
of the Holy and Sacred Synod</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Deanery:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/archdiocese">Archdiocese</a></div></div></div>Fri, 18 Jan 2019 18:31:17 +0000web-admins381 at http://exarchate.org.ukCommuniqué of the Council of the Archdiocese of 15th December 2018http://exarchate.org.uk/node/380
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Following the Pastoral Assembly held on 15th December at the Church of St Sergius, in which nearly all the clergy of the Archdiocese took part, His Eminence Archbishop John of Charioupolis, ruling Archbishop of the Orthodox Churches of Russian Tradition in Western Europe, in consultation with the Council of the Archdiocese which met immediately after the Pastoral Assembly, has convened an Extraordinary General Assembly of the Diocesan Governing Union of Russian Orthodox Associations in Western Europe, of which he is the President.</p>
<p>The Extraordinary General Assembly, convened by implementation of Article 34 of the Statutes, will take place on Saturday, 23rd February 2019, in Paris. It will gather together all the clergy and the lay delegates from the parishes and communities of the Archdiocese.</p>
<p>Agenda: Deliberation on the decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to ‘reorganise the status of the Exarchate’ published in the Communiqué of 29th November 2018 from the Holy Synod.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Deanery:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/archdiocese">Archdiocese</a></div></div></div>Mon, 17 Dec 2018 13:17:23 +0000web-admins380 at http://exarchate.org.ukCommunique of the Diocesan Administrationhttp://exarchate.org.uk/communiqu%C3%A9-archdiocesan-council
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>You are reminded that the Pastoral Assembly which is to meet on Saturday 15 December 2018, with the participation of members of the clergy and to which the lay members of the Archdiocesan Council are invited, does not constitute a statutory decision-making body regarding the future of the Archdiocese. It is an occasion for consultation and communion by His Eminence the Archbishop in charge with his clergy, indispensable for the exercise of the episcopal ministry.</p>
<p>The legitimate collegial bodies to which our statutes, directly inspired by the Moscow Council of 1917-1918, entrust the administrative responsibility for any decisions are the General Assembly which brings together the clergy and the lay representatives of the parishes and, between two assemblies, the Archdiocesan Council.</p>
<p>10 December 2018</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Deanery:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/archdiocese">Archdiocese</a></div></div></div>Mon, 10 Dec 2018 19:53:49 +0000web-admins379 at http://exarchate.org.ukCommuniqué of the Council of the Archdiocese of 30th November 2018http://exarchate.org.uk/communiqu%C3%A9-council-archdiocese-30th-november-2018
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>The Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox Churches in Western Europe, which is one of the oldest Orthodox ecclesiastical entities in our regions, had been placed under the pastoral responsibility of Metropolitan Evloghiy (Guéorguievski) by Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow, by decree of 8th April 1921. Thrown onto the paths of exile by the Bolshevik Revolution, the Russian émigrés established, with faith and courage, an ecclesiastical presence based on the main principles of the unfulfilled Council of Moscow of 1917-1918. Established first in Berlin, the see of the Archdiocese was transferred to Paris, to the Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky, which is its home to this day, where it took the form of an association under French law, composed of communities and parishes established in France and throughout Western Europe. &nbsp;</p>
<p>The statutes of this association, the Diocesan Governing Union of Russian Orthodox Associations in Western Europe, were deposited at the prefecture on 26th February 1924, and are still in force today. In 1931, in order to guarantee its independence and continuity, the Archdiocese asked to be dependent on the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, which was accepted by a patriarchal and synodal Tomos of 17th February 1931, which gave the Archdiocese the status of a provisional Exarchate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On 22nd November 1965, unexpectedly, the Ecumenical Patriarch announced to the Archdiocese the withdrawal of the status of provisional Exarchate of 1931.</p>
<p>The Archdiocese then found itself independent of any patriarchate. It was led throughout this period by Archbishop George (Tarassoff), ruling archbishop from 1960 to 1981. On 22nd January 1971, by a patriarchal and synodal letter, the Ecumenical Patriarchate again accepted the same Archdiocese into its fold, but without granting it a precise canonical status within the Patriarchate itself. From his archiepiscopal election, Archbishop Serge (Konovalov) undertook to negotiate with the Ecumenical Patriarchate a revision of his canonical status within the Patriarchate. This culminated in the granting of the patriarchal and synodal Tomos of 19th June 1999, by which the Holy Synod of Constantinople, at the formal request of the Archdiocese, following several years of internal debate within the Archdiocese and of negotiations with the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, gave the status of Exarchate (non-provisional) to the Archdiocese. It is this status, however, that the Holy Synod, without prior consultation with any official body of the Archdiocese, has just revoked, by a decision of 27th November 2018.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Due to its unforeseen nature, the synodal decision of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to revoke the Tomos of 19th June 1999 calls for profound reflection within the Archdiocese. Nevertheless, it is essential not to over-react in response to this decision. Indeed, as the Orthodox ecclesiology of great contemporary theologians, such as Metropolitan John (Zizioulas) of Pergamum or Father Nicolas Afanassieff, teaches, it is around their diocesan bishop that communities and the faithful constitute the Church in its catholicity. “Several Orthodox synods produce encyclicals and directives relating to the internal affairs of a diocese, as if synods constituted a ‘higher’ authority in the Church. Some Orthodox theologians even put forward the view that the synod is the supreme authority in the Church, thus creating a hierarchy with the diocese at its base, above which is the regional synod and the ecumenical council representing the highest level.</p>
<p>Do a council or synod form a structure located above the bishop? The answer to this question can only be negative from an ecclesiastical point of view. Ecclesiologically speaking, there is nothing superior to the bishop in the Church” [The Bishop according to Orthodoxy, in the book by Metropolitan John (Zizioulas) of Pergamum, The Church and its Institutions, Paris, 2011, pp. 386-387]. Therefore, in order to be able to produce the authentic voice of the Archdiocese, we must remain united around the ruling Archbishop, His Eminence John of Charioupolis. In faithfulness to the original identity of the Archdiocese, this consultation around the ruling Archbishop will take place within the structures established by our statutes and approved by the Holy Synod: first within each parish or community, but also in statutory clergy-laity assemblies.</p>
<p>Any ecclesiastical decision, to be effective, must be formally received by the body which is subject to that decision, especially when the decision has not been sought by those who have to implement it. Archbishop John, as ruling Archbishop, will be able to respond to the synodal decision, respecting the catholicity of the Church and the statutes of the Archdiocese, only at the conclusion of the following deliberative procedure. Archbishop John invites the priests of the Archdiocese to a pastoral assembly on 15th December 2018, in order to consult with those who carry, with him, the spiritual burden of the parishes and of the faithful of the Archdiocese. Closely following the pastoral assembly, the Council of the Archdiocese will formally convene a General Assembly of the Archdiocese, in which all the clergy and lay representatives elected by parishes and communities take part; these are the member associations of the Diocesan Union.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Because it is rooted in Western European societies, the Archdiocese has assimilated certain aspects of Western culture, particularly an attachment to democratic values, the fundamental rights of people and the freedom of each individual, as well as the principle of adversarial debate prior to any decision. Clergy or communities who wish to leave the Archdiocese to join another episcopal jurisdiction than that of Archbishop John will have to proceed in accordance with canonical order, and request from their ruling Archbishop John of Charioupolis a letter of release.</p>
<p>Our preference, however, is for consultation and dialogue in truth, in a regular deliberative assembly of the whole Diocesan Union. It should be clarified that, at the canonical level, Archbishop John, as ruling Archbishop, did not request the repeal of the status of Exarchate, nor his own retirement. He remains thus fully in pastoral charge of the Russian Orthodox Churches in Western Europe. In anticipation of the answer that Archbishop John of Charioupolis will be able to give to His All-holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholemew of Constantinople and Their Eminences the Members of the Holy Synod, as fruit of the transparent procedure outlined above, the clergy of the Archdiocese are asked to continue the following liturgical commemoration: “For His All-holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholemew of Constantinople and His Eminence Archbishop John of Charioupolis, Archbishop of the Russian Churches in Western Europe”.</p>
<p>With confidence in the action of the Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, we invite all the faithful to pray for the prosperity of all the Churches of God.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Deanery:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/archdiocese">Archdiocese</a></div></div></div>Sun, 02 Dec 2018 08:43:30 +0000web-admins378 at http://exarchate.org.ukPastoral message of Archbishop John of Charioupolishttp://exarchate.org.uk/pastoral-message-archbishop-john-charioupolis
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="http://exarchat.eu/IMG/pdf/EN_Feuillet-exarchat__2018-11.pdf"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/attachments_page/en_feuillet-exarchat_2018-11_0_0.png" style="float: right; margin: 10px; height: 200px; width: 141px;" /></a>A Pastoral message of Archbishop John of Charioupolis, Exarch of His All-holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople has been published on the Archdiocese website. <a href="http://exarchat.eu/IMG/pdf/EN_Feuillet-exarchat__2018-11.pdf"><strong>Click here view the pdf document.</strong></a>&nbsp;</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Deanery:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/archdiocese">Archdiocese</a></div></div></div>Thu, 29 Nov 2018 11:40:14 +0000web-admins377 at http://exarchate.org.ukCommuniqué from the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the Churches of Russian Tradition in Western Europehttp://exarchate.org.uk/node/376
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, in its session of November 27, 2018, decided to revoke the patriarchal Tomos of 1999 by which it granted the pastoral care and administration of Orthodox parishes of Russian tradition in Western Europe to its archbishop-exarch.</p>
<p>This decision answers the pastoral and spiritual needs of our time, with the greatest respect for canon law and our spiritual responsibility.</p>
<p>Indeed, the historical circumstances that led to the creation of such a structure in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of October 1917, just a hundred years ago, have changed profoundly. We thank God for the tireless courage your communities have shown over time in preserving the rich spiritual tradition that came from Russia in the aftermath of the bloody persecution by the new atheist regime. We are especially pleased that the Mother Church of the Ecumenical Patriarchate has taken the responsibility to offer its canonical protection to these communities and thus allow them to enjoy, in respect of the ecclesial order, a freedom in conformity with life in the Holy Spirit.</p>
<p>The purpose of today's decision is to further strengthen the bond of the parishes of Russian tradition with the Mother Church of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Each of these communities holds a spiritual heritage that had been established in the wake of a dramatic story of persecution and exile and prophetically participated in the theological revival of Orthodoxy in the 20th century. It is indeed through the outstanding personalities, theologians, philosophers, artists, from the Russian immigration that the Orthodox Faith has radiated throughout Western Europe and beyond.</p>
<p>We wish here to reassure the pious faithful of the parishes of Russian tradition in Western Europe and their communities. It was through pastoral solicitude that the Ecumenical Patriarchate decided to integrate and attach the parishes to the various holy Metropolia of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the countries where they are located. Our Mother Church will continue to ensure and guarantee the preservation of their liturgical and spiritual tradition. The bond of filiation will be all the more close with the Throne of Constantinople as the latter is desirous of continuing to show its pastoral care and apostolic solicitude for the people of God for whom it is responsible.</p>
<p>We pray fervently to the Lord, whom we are preparing to meet at this time for the Divine Nativity, that you will remain faithful to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, just as the Mother Church of Constantinople is devoted to you. We sincerely hope that you continue to be witnesses to the Orthodox faith in Western Europe through the practice of virtue and the fulfillment of the principles of the Gospel.</p>
<p>We also thank His Excellency, Archbishop John of Charioupolis for having led his communities with love and loyalty to this new phase of their history, trusting in the grace of God who calls us to "to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness . "(Eph 4: 23-24)</p>
<p>May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit always be with you, by the prayers of the Most Holy Mother of God and of all the saints.</p>
<p>Phanar, 27 November, 2018</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Deanery:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/archdiocese">Archdiocese</a></div></div></div>Wed, 28 Nov 2018 20:46:22 +0000web-admins376 at http://exarchate.org.ukCommuniqué of November 28, 2018 from the Office of the Diocesan Administrationhttp://exarchate.org.uk/node/375
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>The diocesan administration communicates to all the members of the Archdiocese that, on November 27, 2018, the Holy Synod of our Patriarchate decided to abolish the status of our Archdiocese as an Exarchate.</p>
<p>This decision of the Holy Synod, which has yet to be received officially at the see of the Archdiocese, was in no way requested by the Archdiocese. His Eminence, Archbishop John, was not consulted prior to this decision.</p>
<p>In Istanbul/Constantinople with the secretary of the Archdiocesan Council, Nicholas Lopoukhine, for a meeting of the synodal commission, Archbishop John learned of this decision during a private meeting with the Patriarch.</p>
<p>The Archbishop and the secretary of the Archdiocesan Council will return to Paris shortly. The next meeting of the Council will take place in the coming days to discuss this question.</p>
<p>Until then, as pastor responsible for the parishes and communities of the Archdiocese, Archbishop John asks all the clergy and faithful to maintain their calm and to collect themselves in prayer, so that the Holy Spirit may come to enlighten us all.</p>
<p>More information will follow soon.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Deanery:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/archdiocese">Archdiocese</a></div></div></div>Wed, 28 Nov 2018 13:11:12 +0000web-admins375 at http://exarchate.org.ukCommuniqué from the Archbishop's Office http://exarchate.org.uk/node/373
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>The Archbishop's office released the following communique (<a href="https://exarchate.org.uk/sites/default/files/attachments_story/communique_du_bureau_de_l_archeveque_du_18_octobre_2018.pdf">click here to download the pdf document</a>)</p>
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<tr class="odd"><td><span class="file"><img class="file-icon" alt="PDF icon" title="application/pdf" src="/modules/file/icons/application-pdf.png" /> <a href="http://exarchate.org.uk/sites/default/files/attachments_story/communique_du_bureau_de_l_archeveque_du_18_octobre_2018.pdf" type="application/pdf; length=3492551" title="communique_du_bureau_de_l_archeveque_du_18_octobre_2018.pdf">Communiqué from the Archbishop&#039;s Office </a></span></td><td>3.33 MB</td> </tr>
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Deanery:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/archdiocese">Archdiocese</a></div></div></div>Mon, 19 Nov 2018 16:27:53 +0000web-admins373 at http://exarchate.org.ukPatriarchal Encyclical For Holy Pascha 2018http://exarchate.org.uk/patriarchal-encyclical-holy-pascha-2018
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>+ B A R T H O L O M E W<br />
By God’s Mercy<br />
Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch<br />
To the Plenitude of the Church: May the Grace, Peace and Mercy<br />
of Christ Risen in Glory be with you All</p>
<p><br />
Dear venerable Hierarchs and beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,</p>
<p>The experience of Christ’s Resurrection, the all-saving victory of Life over Death, is the nucleus of faith, divine worship, ethos and culture of the Christ-loving orthodox people of God. The life of the Orthodox faithful, in all its manifestations and dimensions, is nurtured and nourished by faith in the Resurrection, and constitutes a daily Pascha. This paschal experience is not simply a remembrance of the Lord’s Resurrection but also a participation in our own renewal, and an unshakeable conviction about the eschatological perfection of all.</p>
<p>Primarily in the Eucharistic Liturgy, which is inextricably linked with the “chosen and holy day” of Sunday, the Orthodox Church celebrates this existential participation in Christ’s Resurrection and experiential foretaste of the blessings of God’s Kingdom. The resurrectional and delightful character of the Divine Eucharist is impressive, always occurring in an atmosphere of joy and gladness and depicting the ultimate renewal of all beings, the fulfillment of joy, the fullness of life and the future outpouring of love and knowledge.</p>
<p>It is about the redemptive vision of the present under the light of the end and the dynamic journey toward the kingdom. It is about the indissoluble relation and interweaving of the presence and eschatological nature of our salvation and the world’s transfiguration in Christ, which gives ecclesiastical life a unique dynamism and serves for the faithful as a stimulus of good witness in the world. The Orthodox believer has special reason and strong incentive to struggle against social wrongdoing because we are intensely conscious of the contrast between the end times and every historical event. From an Orthodox perspective, philanthropic service, helping our brothers and sisters in need—according to the Lord’s words that “inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Matt. 25:40) and the tangible love of the Good Samaritan that was shown in deed (see Lk. 10:30-37), as well as in accordance with the Patristic saying that “you should consider all those in need as your neighbor and feel that you are called to come to their aid” (Isidore of Pelusium)—constitutes an extension and expression of the Church’s Eucharistic ethos, a revelation that love is the quintessential experience of life in Christ, both in the present life and in the Kingdom of heaven.</p>
<p>It is in this context that we should also understand that liturgical life in the Orthodox Church is shaken by the experience of “common salvation”, the gift of “common freedom” and a “common kingdom”, as well as by the expectation of “common resurrection”. What prevails is the “we”, the community of life, co-participation and co-existence, as well as the sanctifying identification of freedom in Christ through sacrificial and doxological love. Such is the awe-inspiring message of the radiant icon of the Resurrection in the Descent of Christ into Hades. The Lord of glory descended into the depths of the earth and shattered the gates of Hades, emerging victorious and luminous from the tomb, not alone and bearing a banner of victory, but along with Adam and Eve, raising them up with himself, holding them tightly and supporting them. And in their persons, all of the human race and creation is also raised, held and supported.</p>
<p><img alt="" save_image_to_download="true" src="/sites/default/files/baza/patriarch-bartholomew.jpg" style="margin: 10px; float: right; width: 300px; height: 396px;" />The gospel of the Resurrection, this “common feast of all”, the abolishment of the power of death by almighty love, resounds today in a society replete with social injustice and reduction of the human person, in a world that resembles a Golgotha of refugees with myriads of innocent children. It announces from the depths that, in the face of God, human life has absolute value. It proclaims that sufferings and trials, both Cross and Golgotha, do not have the final word. It is impossible for crucifiers to triumph over their tragic victims. In the Orthodox Church, the Cross lies at the center of piety; however, it is not the ultimate reality that determines the final point of orientation in church life. The essential meaning of the Cross is that it constitutes a way to the Resurrection, to the fullness of our faith. On this foundation, the Orthodox proclaim: “For behold, through the Cross joy has come into all the world”. It is characteristic that in the Orthodox Church, the Service of the Passion is not depressing; instead, it is a mingling of the Cross and Resurrection, since the Passion is always approached and experienced through the Resurrection, which is our “ransom from sorrow”. For the Orthodox mindset, the enduring connection of the Cross and the Resurrection is incompatible with every form of esoteric flight to any false mysticism or self-sufficient pietism, which usually tend to be indifferent to the misfortunes and misadventures of humanity in history.</p>
<p>In our age, the message of the Cross and the Resurrection challenges the human being’s self-centeredness and arrogant self-glorification in a secular and rationalistic world—a human being who is convinced of the dominating power of science and is attached to earthly and temporary things, without any desire for eternity. It also combats any attempted repulsion of the Incarnation of the Word and the “scandal” of the Cross in the name of the absolute transcendence of God and the unbridgeable distance between heaven and earth.</p>
<p>In all these things, dear venerable hierarchs and beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, we Orthodox faithful—filled with the experience of the luminous Resurrection, receive light from the unwaning light and give thanks for all things, keeping our mind on heaven and already possessing from here the pledge and assurance of the eschatological fulfillment of Divine Economy, while also publicly proclaiming: “Christ is Risen!” Therefore, we pray that our Lord who suffered, was buried and arose, may illumine our minds, hearts and whole life, guiding our steps toward every good deed and strengthening His people to witness the Gospel of Love “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8) for the glory of His name that is “above all names”.</p>
<p>At the Phanar, Holy Pascha 2018</p>
<p>+ Bartholomew of Constantinople<br />
Your fervent supplicant to the risen Christ</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Deanery:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/archdiocese">Archdiocese</a></div></div></div>Fri, 13 Apr 2018 00:10:21 +0000web-admins368 at http://exarchate.org.uk